29.10.2024

Of Joseph Hartman

After more than 30 years at UMass Lowell and nearly six as dean, Jim Sherwood announced to me that he plans to step down after an impactful tenure at the helm of the Francis College of Engineering.

Among his many accomplishments as dean and associate dean for graduate studies before that, Jim’s leadership led to dramatic increases in research expenditures by an outstanding engineering faculty. Amazingly, the College of Engineering moved from its top 10 researchers averaging $300,000 in research funding per year in 2013 to all faculty in the college averaging more than $300,000 by 2021.

It has also been instrumental in building alliances with local businesses through the use of distance learning technologies. For example, the Analog Devices/UMass Lowell Master’s Scholarship Program provides an accelerated, fully funded path for employees in the company’s aerospace and defense business unit to pursue master’s degrees in electrical, mechanical or computer engineering.

“I would like to personally thank Dean Sherwood for his close friendship and partnership with Analog Devices,” said Bryan Goldstein, vice president of Analog Devices’ aerospace and defense business unit and member of the College of Engineering Advisory Board. “This relationship has been instrumental in the creation of the hi-flex classroom, the RF/Microwave Learning Lab and the ADI Aerospace and Defense Master Fellowship, which have enhanced the region’s ability to provide a world-class hands-on learning experience for the next our generation of innovators. Best wishes for the next step in your life journey.”

Jim didn’t just facilitate the success of other faculty. He is an accomplished educator, teaching mechanical engineering courses for more than 20 years. As a researcher, he founded the UMass Lowell Baseball Research Center in 1998 in collaboration with Major League Baseball and Rawlings Sporting Goods. This lab has played a central role in the education of dozens of graduate students and elevated UMass Lowell to a national stage.

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve as dean and for the support of my colleagues and the university community,” Sherwood said. “Francis College of Engineering provides its students with an education beyond what they can get from books and classroom lectures. Our faculty, our co-op and internship opportunities, and our network of incredibly skilled and successful engineering alumni create a strong foundation for new UMass Lowell engineering graduates as they launch their careers.”

Jim joined UMass Lowell from the University of New Hampshire in 1993 as the college was making its first big move toward a greater research focus. Prior to his academic career, he worked as an engineer at Pratt Whitney Aircraft and BF Goodrich Aerospace. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Cincinnati.

“Jim Sherwood was the one who first recruited me to UMass Lowell, and once I got here, he was — and is — a great colleague,” said Chancellor Julie Chen. “We worked together in composites research and had the same vision of what lab research looked like – a shared, collaborative environment where all of our students could interact, learn and grow together. Jim has also advocated for our students outside of the lab, increasing industry partnerships and cooperative opportunities for our engineering students and graduates. Thank you, Jim, for all you have done for UMass Lowell.”

Speaking on behalf of the Francis College of Engineering Industrial Advisory Board (IAB), co-chairs Cindy Conde ’87 ’91 and Mark Saab ’81 ’13(H) wished Sherwood well.

“We would like to congratulate Dean Sherwood on his well-deserved retirement. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with him over the past few years. Under his leadership, the IAB was transformed from an advisory body into a high-performing, action-oriented team with a unified focus on making impactful improvements to advance FCOE, strengthen industry relationships and create an environment in which students can be successful. . We will miss him at the helm and wish him all the best!”

A nationwide search for a new dean of the Francis College of Engineering will begin soon. I hope you will join me in celebrating Jim’s accomplishments and wishing him well as he moves on to the next phase of his career.